There was only a 10 percent chance of rain Saturday at the Texas A&M Tennis Center as the No. 33 Texas A&M women’s tennis team took on the No. 53 Oklahoma State squad in a Big 12 conference match.
Still, darkening skies left no doubt that poor weather was on the way. Finally, after a three-and-a-half hour rain delay, part of a match that lasted just shy of seven hours, the Aggies (7-3, 3-1) defeated the Cowgirls (5-2, 1-2).
The 5-2 win extended the Aggies’ current win streak to six games.
“You never know what will happen after a rain delay,” said A&M Head Coach Bobby Kleinecke. “But, we were mentally tough and were able to work through and handle the situation.”
Things started well enough for the Aggie women. The ladies claimed the doubles point with relative ease, capturing the matches at courts two and three with scores of 8-2 and 8-3, respectively.
The duo of senior Ashley Hedberg and sophomore Lauren Walker was not able to overcome the No. 26 OSU doubles team of junior Linda Faltynkova and sophomore Katia Kolodynska. The point was important for the Aggies, as last year the ladies dropped the point in Stillwater, which cost them the match. Last year’s loss was the second in a row for the Aggies against the Cowgirls. The pair of losses had come on the heels of a seven-match winning streak against the Big 12 foe in 2002.
Coming out of the break on Saturday, as the skies began to look a bit more threatening, the Cowgirls were able to make the Aggies uncomfortable. Oklahoma State captured leads at one and two, while keeping the match close on most other fronts. Junior Linda Faltynkova was able to push out to a quick 6-1 lead against Aggie opponent Jessica Roland.
“(Faltynkova) played flawless in the first set,” Kleinecke said.
Unfortunately for the Cowgirls, that was the moment the heavens opened, and the pleasant drizzle turned into a downpour that created small ponds all over the courts of the Tennis Center. Just before 7 p.m., the Aggies and Cowgirls were able to take to the court again, and the Aggie women came out with a new drive.
Freshman Nicki Mechem made quick work of her opponent, junior Zana Masnic, on court five. The win was a carry-over from earlier in the day when Mechem put up a shutout in the first set. She went on to capture the match in the second, finishing with a score of 6-0, 6-2. The win was the sixth in a row for Mechem, which pushed her personal record to 9-1, the best on the Aggie squad.
The main story was going on next door at court three. Junior Roberta Spencer, who had problems with her Cowgirl opponent, Kolodynska, was able to climb out of her first set whole. Spencer came back from a first set loss to send Kolodynska down by a score of 5-7, 6-0, 6-1. Spencer’s personal win also clinched the match for the Aggies, their fifth straight at home to start the season.
“I was told to try and be more aggressive and hit more down the middle,” Spencer said. “Before, I was getting aggressive down the line and she was passing me, so I was aggressive down the middle and she wasn’t able to get enough angle.”
The Aggies will take the court again Tuesday at the A&M Tennis Center at 6 p.m. to take on Texas Christian University.